POLL: Owners of hinge covers: Has your Kindle cracked?

[shk246]

I read the article about people having their Kindles crack from the hinge .  I was wondering.... how many people has this happened to?

[Scheherazade]

I've had no issues with strain or cracking due to my hinges and actually really like the design.  I think the probably is people are opening their Amazon covers too quickly and doing it from the back cover not paying attention.  When you do this the Kindle does flop and the weight of it pulls on the Kindle because there is nothing holding it to the back.  The cracking is still definitely a design issue and you should be able to open it however you like, but if you're careful it's a non-issue.  People suggest using velcro along with the hinge case which I feel kind of ruins the whole point of the hinges.  You just need to be careful and make sure you're opening the front of your case and not the back and I think you'll be fine.  This is easy for me because I slid mine into an Oberon journal cover, so I have to unwrap the leather thong before opening it.  This seems to assure I don't fling it open the wrong way around.

[Ann in Arlington]

Rather than Velcro, at least one person here attached nice looking elastic at the two corners opposite the spine to hold the kindle to the back cover.  Modifies the cover without having to stick anything to the Kindle.

[pidgeon92]

This poll is for owners of hinged covers only.

I've created a poll for this topic, and merged the original message to it.

[jaylynn]

I have two hinge covers:  the Amazon one, and an M-edge Go cover.  The Go cover is better because elastic corners keep the Kindle stable, yet you can undo hook the elastic and hold the Kindle in the cover easily; there's more "give" in the cover.  The Amazon cover works fine if you're careful, but if you hold the cover a certain way, too much force could be put on the hinges, or rather, the holes in the Kindle where the hinges connect to.

No cracking here, and I don't think I will have a cracking problem because you just have to be careful about the direction of forces on the Kindle.

[bookfiend]

I agree, I believe the cracking is more of an opening error, rather than a hinge error.  But, I will be taking precautions, like one of our members, as Ann said, by attaching some elastic to the corners.  Also the iBeauty cover is looking at adding something to their covers to keep us from opening the wrong way.  I have no cracking so far (fingers crossed) but accidents do happen, so I will take precautions.  Kind of like a seat belt in a car, It can't hurt, but can certainly help. 

[Maxx]

No cracking here yet (hopefully never), I have the M-Edge cover with hinges and I love it.  I do hope that the elastic will keep this from happening to my K2.  When I first read about this problem, I must admit I was a little worried.

Maxx

[kim]

No cracking.  But I am VERY careful when I open it. 

But last week after reading about a few of the cracked cases and realizing that more people are taking a look at my Kindle, I got a little paranoid and added velcro dots on the back of the K.

[kwl718]

No cracking, or even scratching, and I've been using it in the Amazon cover since February.  I'm not particularly careful with how I hold it and I let my 7 year old use it too. I leave it in the cover 100% of the time.  I wonder if the plastic in the case of some units is more fragile than in others?

[geoffthomas]

Have had an Amazon cover since feb 24 when I got my K2.
I bought an Medge Go cover when they came out because I wanted the nice saddle color.  It had the already mentioned corner "retainers".  These eliminate the flopping (although I never used mine such that it flopped).
I have read that some of the Medge Go users also had case cracking.  But I do not know if they used the corner "retainers" always.
Some people take their K2s out of the case constantly - clearly this would increase the opportunity to damage the unit.  I always leave mine in the cover unless I am showing the back of the skin to people.
I now use an Oberon cover (within the last month) because I think they are beautifully crafted works and received a nice price from a prior owner.  For full price I would have waited until Oberon uses the hinge.

I like the hinge.

No problems with it.

Just sayin......

[auntmarge]

Glad you posted the poll.  With all the talk, this will give people a better idea of whether it's an issue with which to really be concerned.  As I write this, the total so far is 0 yes and 31 no.

[vg]

someone on the "other" board posted that they think the cracks are caused by pressure from folding the cover back.  I do this all the time and have both the Amazon and the M-Edge covers.  Any engineers out there that can verify this, or am I okay to keep reading with the cover folded back?   

[geoffthomas]

I am not an engineer (not mechanical or materials at any rate) but I used my K2 in a hinged cover for at least 4 months and many many times each day.  I always folded the front cover back to read. Still do ( now with the Oberon).  I never noticed anything that look like pressure on the hinge.

Just my opinion......

[Pawz4me]

I've had my K2 in an Amazon cover since they were both delivered back in February.  I've never taken it out, and I always read with the cover folded back.  My 13 yo DS also reads on my Kindle, so it gets lots of use.  There are no signs at all of cracking, and no scratches.  We're both very careful with how we open it, and I rarely stand it up (i.e., in a purse or backpack).  I've wondered if standing upright in a purse or backpack, so that the Kindle is "hanging" from the hinges, could contribute to some of the cracking issues.

I did buy some velcro dots last week, but so far I haven't been able to bring myself to put them on.  I really don't want anything stuck on my Kindle!

[tsemple]

someone on the "other" board posted that they think the cracks are caused by pressure from folding the cover back.  I do this all the time and have both the Amazon and the M-Edge covers.  Any engineers out there that can verify this, or am I okay to keep reading with the cover folded back?  

The Amazon cover's front side (covering the screen) is designed to fold all the way back so that it is behind the Kindle. The problem arises when the Kindle and the cover's back are forced away from each other (e.g. if you don't realize the Kindle is face-down and try to flip the back of the cover open, thinking it is the front side). This puts stress on the attachment point and can crack the plastic.

I'm surprised that Amazon doesn't change their cover design a bit to add elastic or a clip or velcro that would prevent this from happening.  

[vg]

Thanks for the replies - I am careful with my Kindle and so don't think I'll worry about using the hinged covers.

[Lilly]

I voted no.  I had the hinge cover since February and I fold it back every time I read.  I'm not even careful, I'm more aware now because of this report but I've never had any problems.  I have taken out the Kindle from the cover about a dozen times (for demonstration purposes and to change the skin - I'm on my 3rd skin since March).

[kim]

someone on the "other" board posted that they think the cracks are caused by pressure from folding the cover back.  I do this all the time and have both the Amazon and the M-Edge covers.  Any engineers out there that can verify this, or am I okay to keep reading with the cover folded back?   

If the cover folded near the hinges, I could see this as a possible cause.  But, at least on my Amazon cover, the fold is to the left of the hinges so I don't think there is any stress being added by folding it.

[mwb]

Mine should be a double no!

I have the amazon hinge covers for my K2 and my DX - no cracks whatsoever.

[shk246]

This poll is for owners of hinged covers only.

I've created a poll for this topic, and merged the original message to it.

thanks for creating a poll for my question.

SHK

[artsandhistoryfan]

someone on the "other" board posted that they think the cracks are caused by pressure from folding the cover back.  I do this all the time and have both the Amazon and the M-Edge covers.  Any engineers out there that can verify this, or am I okay to keep reading with the cover folded back?   

 I've had the Amazon cover since February 27 and used it several times a day, sometimes taking it out several times a day and some times leaving it in for days. 

 I read it ONLY with the left cover bent back.

 There is just no sign of a crack.

 But I did, in the dark, almost open it the wrong way one night until I realized the resistance meant
something was wrong so I stopped.

 I do think they should have set it up so you couldn't open it and force it more open, from the back.

 But it's no prob for me.  I really like the cover.  Oh, I use the m-Edge Platform with it sometimes when
going out and sometimes here too.  But have used the basic cover more because it fits my
small purse better.   If I know I want to prop it up, then it's the m-Edge Platform.

[Riley]

I used the amazon hinge cover for almost 5 mths.   While I had no issue with cracking, I just didn't want to take
a chance.  When I heard about this issue last week, I immediately took my kindle out of the cover.  When I thought
about it, I realized that the hinges "may" put stress on the surrounding plastic no matter how it is used or even if it
is not opened from the back.  Those of you on the accessories forum know that I purchased an oberon that I am very
happy with.  I thought that I would not like the straps, but they are completely fine.
Take my post with a grain of salt.  My friends always accuse me of worrying too much, but I tell them that I am a world-class
worrier, so I have to stay at the top of my game.

[jrector]

No cracks since Feburary.

It seems to me like you'd really have to force the kindle and the back cover apart, or drop it just right, to get it to crack.

[KindleMom]

I full expected there to be more "yes" answers.  At this point in the poll it's 70 - 1 for "no."  I voted "no" for Mr. KM's K2.   He's had his K2 in the Amazon cover since Day 1 in Feb when it arrived.  He loves the cover.  He loves the hinges.  He opens it probably 6-10 times a day!

Maybe this problem isn't very widespread unlike the sun fading issue.  I'd be interested to see what that poll would be like now, several months after release and into the hot summer.  It seems like there were a lot of people on this board with sun fade issues and I wonder what percentage would be.  Probably much higher than the cover issue which for some reason seems a little user-induced.

[Hopeful76]

I've only had my K2 plus Amazon hinge cover since the first week of June, but I remove it sometimes for reading.

I haven't had any problems with the Kindle cracking from the hinged cover.  In fact, I really like this design and if I ever need a new cover, I will buy one with the hinge design, maybe a prettier one than the basic Amazon kind though.